Michael Avitabile
Praised for playing that is "warm and vocal" (Boston Musical Intelligencer), Michael Avitabile is a flutist, entrepreneur, and educator dedicated to the music of our time. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Hub New Music, a Boston-based mixed quartet that has quickly become a prominent force among younger contemporary music organizations.
Under his leadership, HNM has commissioned quartets and collaborative projects from a diverse cohort of innovative musical minds including Hannah Lash, Robert Honstein, Kati Agocs, Takumah Itoh, Angel Lam, and the composer-collective Oracle Hysterical. He has also spearheaded collaborations with Boston’s Urbanity Dance, the Silk Road Ensemble’s Kojiro Umezaki, and the Asia-America New Music Institute. The ensemble maintains an active touring schedule and has been featured in the Boston Globe, WQXR (NYC), WFMT (Chicago), New York Times, WBUR (Boston), and the Oregon Artswatch among several others.
As an educator, Avitabile focuses on empowering students with skills to build the arts organizations of tomorrow. His lectures translate the day-to-day experiences of running an artist-led organization into a series of workshops covering topics such as self-management, non-profit development, and commissioning new work. He has been a guest lecturer on Arts Entrepreneurship and Contemporary Music at institutions such as Harvard University, the University of Michigan, University of Colorado Boulder, New England Conservatory, University of Texas at Austin, and others.
Outside of his work with HNM, Avitabile has worked with prominent composers including Harrison Birtwhistle, John Zorn, Brett Dean, and Christian Wolfe. As an orchestral musician, he has received fellowships to play with the National Repertory Orchestra, Banff Festival Orchestra, and has also performed with the New World Symphony.
He holds degrees from the University of Michigan (BM) and New England Conservatory (MM), graduating with top honors from both schools. At Michigan, he was a Shipman Scholar, one of the highest awards given to an incoming student university-wide. While at NEC, he received the John Cage Award for Outstanding Contribution to Contemporary Music. In his free time, Avitabile enjoys developing recipes, practicing yoga, and exploring Boston’s many coffee shops. Avitabile is a Haynes Flutes Artist.